Washington/05.01.22/Turan: Washington on Wednesday expressed its concern about the adoption of a new media bill that critics say was designed to limit independent journalism in Azerbaijan, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.
“We are concerned that the Azerbaijani Parliament appeared to rush the process of sending the proposed media law to the Presidential Administration for ratification,” a State Department spokesperson said in response to TURAN’s request for comment.
"We hope that the Presidential Administration will carefully consider input from independent journalists, media experts, and international groups, including the OSCE, as it reviews the draft law", the spokesperson added. "We will continue to follow the issue closely."
The proposed law, which sets up a database for media organizations and requires journalists to be registered with the state, was adopted by the Azerbaijani Parliament on December 30, and is yet to be signed by the President. Local media and rights groups have said that the law could impose potentially wide-ranging restrictions on freedom of expression in Azerbaijan.--0--
Alex Raufoglu
Washington D.C.
Politics
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The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
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This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
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The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
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